Cleveland officials file motions to overturn 4,000 cannabis convictions |

City officials in Cleveland, Ohio on Wednesday filed requests to vacate more than 4,000 convictions for misdemeanor related to previous cannabis offenses, confirming a 2020 ordinance reforming the city’s cannabis policy.

Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb announced the filing of the deletion requests at an event at the Cuyahoga County Justice Center. The mayor, who appeared with Cleveland Assistant Attorney Aqueelah Jordan, Council President Blaine Griffin and Judiciary Director Mark Griffin, told reporters that this was a historic day for the people of Cleveland.

“Today’s event demonstrates our commitment in the City of Cleveland to advancing criminal justice reform,” Bibb told reporters. “But it also gives people across the city and in this region a second chance at a good job and the quality of life they deserve.”

At the event, officials presented the removal requests to Cleveland Municipal Court Clerks, located at the County Justice Center. The applications concern 4,077 weed offenses for possession of 200 grams (about seven ounces) or less of cannabis from 2017.

“This is the natural progression of what we (in the Council) wanted to see; Decriminalize first, then have records wiped. Before we passed the law, we assembled a working group of activists and criminal justice experts,” Griffin said in a city council statement. “As more states legalized marijuana, we wanted to position the city in that direction. For me, it was always about criminal justice reform.”

Reform Ordinance passed two years ago

Cleveland officials filed the deletion requests in response to a 2020 City Council ordinance reforming cannabis policy, which eliminated the threat of fines and jail time for possession of less than 200 grams of cannabis. Under Ohio state law, possession of up to 100 grams of cannabis is fined up to $150, while possession of 100 to 200 grams is punishable by up to 30 days in prison and a fine of up to $250. dollars will be fined.

Reviewing previous weed cases, prosecutors identified 455 people who were falsely charged after the 2020 ordinance was passed. These charges came on top of the thousands of cases that prosecutors have been free to drop since 2017.

“Today we are moving forward with a motion to eliminate all minor marijuana offenses to honor the city’s legislature and eliminate criminal penalties,” said Jordan, who also called on the state of Ohio to extend its cannabis reform efforts to recreational activities Cannabis. Currently, the state has a limited medicinal weed program for patients with certain qualifying medical conditions.

City officials noted that the U.S. House of Representatives last week passed the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act, a law designed to decriminalize cannabis at the state level and overturn previous cannabis convictions at the federal level. But local action can help drive the process forward.

“We are seeing progress on this issue in Washington, but progress is slow. There are immediate steps we can take now in Cleveland to clear the names of over 4,000 residents who deserve a fresh start,” Bibb said in the city’s statement. “This is just one way we can make progress on criminal justice reform to balance the scales and remove barriers to employment and re-entry.”

Deletion requests submitted by the city will be reviewed by Presiding Judge Michelle Earley and other judges of the Cleveland Municipal Court. The court is expected to hold hearings on the requests before approving the deletions, which will not be automatic under the new regulation.

“Judges have the right to rule on the motions and we will respect those rights,” Jordan said. “Our judges are very busy and we will give them great support any time they need it.”